In addition to these branded launches, a number of companies are bringing a portfolio of asian MMOGs to the West, including K2 Network, IGG, Acclaim, Aeria and OutSpark.

Startups looking to launch a single title MMO in this environment should think carefully about their player acquisition strategy, and how they will be able to stand out in an increasingly crowded environment. It is not enough to simply build a better product. With such a plethora of choice available, your users may not even get to try you to discover how much better you are. Smart approaches may include explicit plans for viral growth, particular expertise in user acquisition, targeting a less saturated demographic or genre, and novel channel strategies. But the best teams will always find a way to be successful in even this highly competitive environment.

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If you think about the stage of this industry you can see a similar development where many of the competitors (those that offer something unique to the mix) will be aggregated into a common collection, a roll up if you will. We already see this in television, where programs are grouped into channels which have some sort of theme and organization.

IMHO, there is plenty of room for the wave of competitors, especially when you consider the shifting viewer habits. The new show with a compelling storyline and audience appeal will always have an opportunity to prove itself in the market.

It is interesting though that a company on the internet can put together something informal and play with it for a while, but a network will give you only one shot at it. If you don’t hit the required number of viewers, you’re gone. I hope the internet remains an area where content can continue to develop and ultimately find its niche.

This is a good point. The casual/web/mmog marketplace has surely changed in the last year with both many independent and “branded” games (at a wide-spectrum of quality and success)

two additional observations:

– New ventures should not only think about initial user/player acquisition, but also on longer term players retention and engagement. The fact there are so many choices nowadays make the challenge bigger than ever – and since the business-model for these projects often relies on virtual-goods and commerce, repeat/committed users are vital for actual success.

– It appears to me that this growth in demand should-be/is creating a need for infrastructure to make it much cheaper, faster and easier to launch a new concept/game.. To a point where the complexity in building such an mmo is on-part with (say) building a “web2.0 website” today… The effort should be in coming up with that unique idea/niche/distribution-model and not dealing with the common complexities of building&running a service. We’re not there yet, there’s only a handful of efforts taking a stab at that, but I expect we’d see more in the near-term

Online Mafia-themed game http://www.MafiaMob.com released its second “MafiaMob Web Episode” this weekend. The response has been astounding and emails have been pouring in as members of the online site try to get ‘made’ and earn a part in the next episode. Who wouldn’t want to be in a Mafia series!
Creator Ron Gastelu envisioned MafiaMob.com as more than just an online game. “Imagine a game on the web that combines the elements of a social network and puts its own players into broadcast quality films.” Gastelu adds, “The Web is where television is headed. The major networks are positioning themselves on the internet for the future battle against millions of web television stations like MafiaMob.TV.” With radio advertisements on Sirius Satellite radio’s Howard Stern channel and upcoming spots on XM, MafiaMob.com has plans to produce new episodes every month, that everyone can watch them for free at (www.mafiamob.TV). MafiaMob.com is owned by Groove Club LLC, a New Jersey based production company behind a series of entertainment projects.

La Cosa Nostra is the most realistic mafia game on the internet. You will start your new life off as a civilian. you will have 2 options you can either join a family or you can create your own. Joining a family will place you as a associate and you will have to work your way up to becoming a made man in the family. You can become a caporegime and run your own crew of soldiers and associates. You will do criminal activities such as robbing a bank, hijacking trucks, producing drugs, going on union strikes and much more.

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